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Are K-pop and anime the perfect match? Idols Treasure, GFriend’s SinB, Momoland and Oh My Girl are singing their way into Japanese and Korean animated films – and going viral with YouTube videos and TikTok dance-offs

A still from the music video for Be Yourself (Shinbi x SINB Song), from anime series Shinbi Apartment: Doomsday, featuring SinB from K-pop girl group GFriend. Photo: The Korea Times
A still from the music video for Be Yourself (Shinbi x SINB Song), from anime series Shinbi Apartment: Doomsday, featuring SinB from K-pop girl group GFriend. Photo: The Korea Times
Music

  • K-pop group Treasure’s well-received Beautiful track from Japanese anime film Black Clover clocked over a million YouTube views
  • K-pop girl band GFriend’s SinB released Be Yourself (Shinbi x SINB Song), from anime series Shinbi Apartment: Doomsday, and sparked a viral TikTok dance challenge

The soundtracks to Japanese and Korean animated feature films and anime series are traditionally sung by the trained voice actors who also star in them, but things have started to change: K-pop stars are increasingly being called on to belt out songs for popular anime series and animated films – a savvy partnership that appears to be beneficial for both sides.
K-pop boy group Treasure’s Beautiful, the closing track for the Japanese animated film Black Clover, was released on January 22 and has already attracted more than a million views on YouTube.
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In November last year, SinB of K-pop girl band GFriend, released Be Yourself (Shinbi x SINB song), sung alongside a character called Shinbi from the anime film Shinbi Apartment: Doomsday. The collaboration attracted huge attention, drawing more than 888,000 views on YouTube and prompting people to participate in a TikTok dance challenge.

SinB of K-pop girl group GFriend in the Be Yourself (Shinbi x SINB Song) music video. Photo: @mademyday603B/ Twitter
SinB of K-pop girl group GFriend in the Be Yourself (Shinbi x SINB Song) music video. Photo: @mademyday603B/ Twitter

“SinB of GFriend and Shinbi from Shinbi Apartment: Doomsday, who have the same name, joined hands to deliver heart-warming messages to children who may have become depressed by the spread of Covid-19,” an official at CJENM said.

Kim Jae-joong of JYJ, the K-pop star famous in Korea and Japan, sang Breaking Dawn, the opening song for Noblesse: Awakening (2020), an animated series adapted from Naver comics, written by Son Je-ho and illustrated by Lee Kwang-su.